SANDOWN Park Racecourse is a step closer to building a large hotel on protected Esher countryside.

On Monday night, Elmbridge Borough Council’s East Area Planning Sub-Committee (EAPS) voted in favour of the application, which proposes demolishing the existing 21-bedroom Sandown Park Lodge Hotel on Portsmouth Road and replacing it with a 109-bedroom hotel.

In addition, there would be associated parking, medical facilities, lads and lasses canteen, changing room and saddling enclosures.

As the racecourse lies within green belt land, the applicant Racecourse Investments Ltd had to meet the “special circumstances” set out by the council’s Green Belt Policy to protect the openness of the land.

Over the years Sandown Park has suffered a serious decline in income and faces increased competition. The applicant stated that by building a new hotel the racecourse would gain essential additional revenue, securing it’s long term future. This it believed qualified the application as a “special circumstance”.

Committee chairman Cllr Shweta Kapadia revealed that members had received a significant amount of letters from the public supporting the application. She had received 29 letters alone.

Cllr Archer said: “The support for this application has been second to none. I’ve never had so many letters in support of an application in the eight years I’ve been on this committee.”

He said that as the hotel would only serve breakfasts, guests would be likely to use the High Street restaurants and cafes, thereby increasing the town’s trade.

“Esher High Street, like so many others, is currently going through a very difficult period. Sandown’s vitality is crucial to the High Street.”

However, Cllr Tannia Shipley opposed the application and accused the council of slowly eroding open spaces.

“We are the custodians of the green belt,” she said.

“I honestly believe that Joe Public out there really doesn’t appreciate the gravity of what’s going on.”

She added: “As far as I’m concerned the main issue is the protection of the greenbelt. Should this proposal be allowed we’d be opening up the floodgates.”

Cllr Timothy Grey accused her of being “melodramatic” and said the racecourse needed the support of the community.

However, Cllr Karen Randolph warned that if the committee voted in favour of the application on the grounds of commercial justification, there would be no protection against the future building on greenbelt land.

Speaking after the meeting, Sandown Park Racecourse managing director David Mackinnon said: “We have overcome the first hurdle. The second hurdle will be the meeting of the full planning committee of Tuesday November 18.

"We hope that on that occasion the members will again give the application due consideration.”